Boxster S to E36 M3??

[five50]

Hi

Currently running a 2004 Boxster S Anniversary.

Thinking of changing it for a car I can run on road and track. E36 M3's seem to be well thought of for this purpose, but interested in any thoughts on the following:

What basic mods would you undertake - brakes / suspension /tyres etc to get a spec that will be satisfying to drive on track? I need the car to remain a road car, so not looking to strip the interior / cage it etc. But similarly, dont want something that feels frustrating / out of its depth on track - have been tracking a Yamaha R1 motorbike for the last few years and am looking for something credible with 4 wheels to replace this with.

How much fun will the car be to drive handling / interaction wise after the Boxster with the basic mods? The E36 was reasonably well reviewed by the press at the time of launch, but there were comments about a lack of steering feel etc and obviously we are now talking about a car that is well over 10 yrs old in its basic design.

If the car is fun to drive on track, how incompatible would this make it with London driving (potholes and speedbumps etc) as I live in London?

INterested in any thoughts or any appropriate cars that may be for sale...

[chris7676]

I never found steering feel lacking in an E36 M3, is as good as Boxster in my experience. Otherwise the car feels more like a normal car, but with a better race-like engine. Btw, there is no such thing as London driving, but surely it's a great idea to get some sort of adjustable dampers, for both road & track sake.

[CRACKIE]

No real substitiute to driving a well set up car ( with coilovers etc for example ) to see if it fits your needs. Not much out there which can do the daily drive and track compromise so well...........

IMHO the standard E36 M3 steering is easily the worst part of the car ~ not an expert by any means but I've driven a 15 or so Evos before choosing the 2 I've owned and I'd say the very best of them were nowhere near a 944 Turbo / 968 / Boxster for example.

Edited by CRACKIE on Wednesday 20th May 14:19

[MPWR321BHP]

IMO. My 98 2.5 Boxster handled far better than my current M3 E36, both running standard trim, but the whole package in the M3 suits me better, + I think in a RWD front engine car it could be more forgiving than the mid engine boxster. (IMO)

[dan101smith]

For track use you'll need to uprate suspension and brakes, without doubt. Hoses and pads will do for brakes, coilovers for suspension - up to you how far to take that.

Standard steering rack is a bit slow, but a smaller steering wheel can help, as can a Z3 rack swap.

My car has evolved into a pure track toy, but on the way to that has been a very capable road/track car.

And, it will easily live with a Boxster S on track.